Certain observers would say that I have an unhealthy obsession with punctuality. The fact that those observers are my children does not necessarily mean that they are correct. Children have been known to misunderstand their parents. They may even rebel against their upbringing by arriving at events exactly on time rather than 30 minutes early. Thus, the world spirals into decay.
In any case, accurate time keeping is as a balm to my soul. If civilization collapses and chaos ensues, I want to know exactly what time it is when everything goes down.
In June of 2023, SurvivalBlog published my review of the Invicta 29178 automatic watch. The watch had many strong points, but it had one tragic flaw: it was just too shiny for field use. I felt like I was walking around with a mirror strapped to my arm that was screaming, “I am here! I am here!”
A little more than six months ago, I received a $100 gift card as an expression of appreciation for being a blood drive coordinator. I went online, and discovered a Timex Expedition Field Post Solar Watch in the 41mm size on sale for just over $100. Its olive face, gunmetal case, and olive strap were much less glitzy than the shiny stainless steel of the Invicta. I placed my order, and the watch was delivered less than a week later.
The Bottom Line, Near the Top
The Timex Expedition Field Post Solar 41mm Watch is a great piece of gear. It is accurate, durable, unobtrusive, and maintenance-free.
The model I tested was olive and gunmetal. The watch is also available in black and gunmetal, brown and blue, and silver-tone and black.
It can be charged by any light, with a four-month power reserve when fully charged. But truth be told, the face says that the watch is “solar powered” and that is true: this watch works best when regularly exposed to the sun. If you spend all of your time in artificial light and are rarely outside during daylight hours, then this may not be the best watch for you.
The watch is water resistant to 100 meters, so it is suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not for diving.
When I ordered the watch, the specs listed on the website indicated that it was made in Japan. The details are a little more complicated than that. To be exact, the movement was made in Japan, the band was made in mainland China, and final assembly took place in the Philippines.
Although I was able to purchase my watch on sale for about $100, it is now priced at $169 at www.timex.com and everywhere else that I could find it online (except for some scalpers on eBay who wanted to sell it for more than that).
If you want a good, basic watch for everyday use, I highly recommend this one.
Testing
When the watch first arrived, I attempted charge it using artificial light. The best I was able to do after extensive exposure to artificial light was to convince the watch to run in economy mode. In economy mode, the hand jumps forward two seconds at a time. Economy mode is a warning that the battery is dying, and that the watch will soon stop if it doesn’t get more power.
A half hour outside on a bright autumn day playing ball with my grandson, “Earnest”, gave the battery a sufficient base charge to run in normal mode. It continued to run in normal mode for months afterward with no problems.
With the coming of winter and additional layers of clothing, it became more difficult to prevent the cuffs of my shirts and sweaters from covering the face of the watch. But the healthy base charge attained in the autumn kept the watch running smoothly.
Then for a month from late December to late January, I tested a different watch. The Timex sat on the top of my dresser receiving only sporadic artificial light. After more than a month of neglect, the battery finally died about midnight on the night before I wanted to start wearing the Timex again.
Over the course of the following days I tried to give the watch a base charge using artificial light, but it kept switching into economy mode. I tried placing the watch near the bulb inside the globe of a lamp in the living room for an hour to give the battery a chance to recharge. Before long it was once again running in economy mode.
I tried putting the watch on the windowsill in indirect sunlight for 30 minutes while I was working at my desk. That provided enough energy to run in standard mode for most of the rest of the day, but the watch reverted back to economy mode before bedtime.
The next day I put the watch on the windowsill in indirect sunlight for an hour. That was enough to get it running in standard mode again, but it reverted back to economy mode within a half hour. Indirect winter sunshine on a cloudy day is not sufficient for effective charging.
I next exposed the watch to direct afternoon sunlight on a windowsill for 30 minutes. Even though the day was partly cloudy, this was sufficient to keep the watch running in standard mode for more than 24 hours.
I kept putting the watch on various window sills for various periods of time on gray, cloudy, and snowy days. The watch would run in standard mode for a day and two and then revert to economy mode.
Next, I put the watch on a south-facing windowsill for five hours one winter day. I wore my Dad’s old mechanical Timex while the solar watch was charging. The sky was marbled with shades of gray and white and blue and pink and yellow and brown. For about the next week, the watch ran in standard mode. Then it reverted to economy mode again.
Finally, I put the watch on a south-facing window ledge for ten hours on a partly sunny day. It has run consistently in standard mode ever since. The coming of spring with longer and brighter days and fewer layers of clothing covering the face of the watch undoubtedly helps with this improved performance.
Water Resistance
I wore the watch while giving the dog a bath. That is just about as good a test of practical, everyday water resistance as you are likely to find. It passed the test with flying colors. That gives the watch the Tucker the Beagle Seal of Disapproval (since Tucker disapproves of anything related to baths).
I also wore the watch while baptizing someone during the morning service at the church where I am one of the pastors. That made the watch pass the immersion test in every sense of the word. I don’t expect to see the watch in heaven since I don’t believe in baptismal regeneration. But I am glad that it is not afraid of water here on earth.
The Timex Brand
I have a soft spot in my heart for Timex watches because my Dad had a preference for the brand. The watch I wear while doing manual labor like splitting wood is one of my Dad’s old mechanical Timex watches. The day and date functions can no longer be adjusted, but the time function works just fine. I have worn out the original band, and replaced it with the band from a Seiko 5 that had died.
My Dad’s old Timex is reasonably water-resistant. I once owned a watch that was not. I got water in the case just by washing my hands while wearing the watch. Then the watch developed condensation on the inside of the crystal, making it difficult to read. I got rid of the condensation by heating the watch with a blow dryer, but that accelerated the process of corrosion. The watch ceased to operate not long afterward.
Some of you may remember the torture test ads for Timex watches with former news anchorman John Cameron Swayze. The watch would be put through some difficult test, and then John Cameron Swayze would say, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” My favorite Timex live television ad was the one where the watch was attached to the blade of an outboard motor. They started the motor, revved it up for a few seconds, and turned it off. The watch was gone! Mr. Swayze continued to promote the watch without a hitch in a true display of live television professionalism. The particular watch used in that ad cost $9.95 in 1954. That would be equivalent to about $116 to $133 in 2025 depending upon whose numbers you prefer. If I could buy one of those old Timex mechanicals in mint condition for $133 today, I think I would. They were fine watches.
Conclusions
The Timex Expedition Field Post Solar 41mm Watch is a great watch for everyday use.
I would not recommend it for long-term storage, since the battery would likely decay while sitting on a shelf. Instead, I would recommend an automatic or mechanical watch for long-term storage. But for everyday use in the world as we now know it, and for the transition into any short or long-term disruption that life may bring, this watch should serve you well. I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer
I did not receive any financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
Read the full article here